TV chef quits family home with her son as shocking pictures of the attack provoke widespread condemnation.

TELEVISION chef Nigella Lawson’s husband is set to be questioned by police over shocking pictures of him attacking her.

Millionaire Charles Saatchi, 70, was seen grabbing Nigella by the throat on the terrace of an exclusive restaurant in London. She has yet to lodge a complaint about the incident.

But she was clearly distressed and tearful as she left the restaurant and police say officers are making inquiries to “establish the facts of the incident”, which happened at the couple’s favourite restaurant, Scotts of Mayfair.

Yesterday, hours after the photographs were published by our sister paper, the Sunday People, an unhappy-looking Nigella and her teenage son Bruno left the family home with a suitcase.

Earlier, she had been active on Twitter, posting messages and comments about food and apparently unaware that her marriage was about to be put in the spotlight.

The pictures show art collector Saatchi grabbing 53-year-old Nigella by the throat four times and have brought widespread condemnation.

After the meal, she was in tears and he stormed off, with an onlooker saying it was “utterly shocking” to witness.

Yesterday, a stern-faced Saatchi left the couple’s converted warehouse in Chelsea 90 minutes before Nigella and refused to comment on the shocking incident, which happened on Sunday, June 9.

The three-times-married former advertising guru later returned alone, looking dishevelled.

Police took several hours to confirm an investigation was under way after earlier saying only that no complaint had been received from Nigella.

A witness to the incident said Saatchi had later looked “guilty”.

He said: “It was clear he knew he’d done something wrong. He was menacing, there’s no question. She had been abused and humiliated in public.

“No man should do that to a woman. She raised her voice and got angry but at the same time was trying to calm him down, almost like you would try to calm down a child.”

The witness said at one stage, Nigella kissed her husband on the cheek in an apparent attempt to placate him.

He added: “The kiss was a strange thing. He was being intimidating, threatening.”

Lily Greenan, manager of Scottish Women’s Aid said last night: “There appear to have been several witnesses so I am really surprised by the lack of action.

“In Scotland, there would be an attempt to find out what had happened straight away.”

Lily added: “Women who are victims of domestic abuse are often in the position of trying to manage their partner’s behaviour in a public space.”

In the past, Nigella has admitted she has found Saatchi volatile.

She said: “I’ll go quiet when he explodes and then I am a nest of horrible festeringness.”

Fans of the chef, who is estimated to have built up her own £15million fortune through her TV work and cookery books, yesterday took to Twitter to express their outrage at her ordeal.

Former deputy prime minister John Prescott urged Sarah Sands, editor of London’s Evening Standard, to fire Saatchi from his regular column. He said: “I assume you will be axing Charles Saatchi as one of your columnists.”

Scottish comedian Janey Godley said: “Think I might go see Saatchi gallery’s big shop windows when am in London – wonder if I should protest against domestic violence with an artistic brick.”

Radio 2 DJ Jeremy Vine tweeted: “Hope Nigella is OK.”

And former MP Louise Mensch said: “This is a completely shocking story. If true, the police should be involved.

"Lots of people saying, 'It’s Nigella’s business.’ I don’t agree. An alleged assault photographed in a public place is everyone’s business.

“The police have come under a great deal of criticism for not investigating domestic violence and, given the photos, public confidence requires it.

“If there is some kind of explanation, we really need to hear why an offence was not committed, in order to have confidence.”

Some fans questioned whether the behaviour was indicative of a wider problem behind closed doors.

One said: “If that’s how Charles Saatchi behaves towards women in public, it truly terrifies me to imagine the life Nigella must lead at home.”

Jan McLeod, a development worker with the Women’s Support Project, said she was shocked that no witnesses intervened, adding: “I am surprised that he wasn’t challenged. That is very disappointing.”

Margaret Vieira, who founded Grampian Women’s Aid and who was a victim of abuse by her businessman husband, said the crime impacts on women of all backgrounds.

She said: “The more high-profile a victim, the more likely they are to hide it because they feel shame. It must have been awful for Nigella, especially because she is such a public figure.”

Nigella and Saatchi are due to celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary in September.

But in December, concerns were raised when they had a row on the same restaurant terrace, during which Saatchi put his hand over Nigella’s mouth in an apparent bid to silence her.

Nigella was previously married to the journalist John Diamond, who died in 2001 of throat cancer. She had two children with him, Cosima, 19, and Bruno, 17.

The television cook joins a long list of famous victims of domestic abuse.

One of the most high-profile victims was singer Rihanna, who was left battered and bruised by rapper Chris Brown in 2009.